Opinion about barking collars?

[Paul Bright]

Hello,

Just wondering what do you personally think of barking collars to help stop barking.

Last week my partners parents bought a barking collar for their golden retriever as he was barking at times during the night. They fitted the collar on and they said a few days later he has stopped barking.

So I guess on one hand they work, but on the other, they wouldn't have put one on their children.

 

[corgipower]

I have four dogs that bark. The last thing I need is a collar that also barks.

 

[HayleyMarie]

I would never touch one with a ten foot pole, If I would not put one of my children why would I put one on my dogs.

My dogs are my children with fur.

There are other positive ways to fix barking.

 

[vanillasugar]

I've used one of the citronella ones (NOT a shock one) on Sierra for a few months in specific situations. It got to the point where I could take it out and hang it up near her and not even have her wear it and she wouldn't bark. She hasn't worn it now in over a year, and has no problems whatsoever with barking. She barks when she needs to, but not "problem" barking.

 

[Paul Bright]

I've used one of the citronella ones (NOT a shock one) on Sierra for a few months in specific situations. It got to the point where I could take it out and hang it up near her and not even have her wear it and she wouldn't bark. She hasn't worn it now in over a year, and has no problems whatsoever with barking. She barks when she needs to, but not "problem" barking.

wow thats good.

I haven't personally used the citronella one before, but I have heard of a few people who said they work.

The shock ones Im not a fan of. The problem is they seem to work though.

 

[Kat09Tails]

I own one that's the tritronics bark limiter. I like it a lot for times I can't control what the dog is doing like when she's in a crate while I'm not home or in her kennel outdoors. Basically I use it in confined areas where I expect her to be calm and quiet without me standing there.

A bark collar isn't for every dog but for those it does work for it's consistent in a way a person just can't be. It's a training tool like any other. There's a right way to use it and a number of wrong ways.

 

[Romy]

We had a pointer who was a barkaholic. He would even bark while drinking and eating (it was very messy). Against my better judgment my husband bought the zapping type of bark collar.

It didn't work.

Well, it zapped. My husband put it on and woofed until it zapped him and it knocked him flat on his rear.

He put it on Charlie.Charlie barked. His voice got higher and higher. Now we had a screeching dog instead of a barking dog.

Other times he would bark at cats and things. He LOVED barking at cats. He loved it so much it overrode the pain of getting zapped. So he'd bark right though the collar.

It should be noted that this same dog would also crawl out of the bay soaking wet and walk under the cattle fence. When the electric wire hit his back he'd shiver like, "tee hee, that tickles". The same charge that sent our bull mooing in horror and running several hundred yards across the pasture.

Anyway, what worked for him was going in his crate. Every. Single. Time. He. Barked. about anything that wasn't important. We'd leave him in there for 5 mins until he chilled out, and then let him out again. It was tedious, but after a week he was showing much more restraint. I think it was teaching him how to calm himself down. The crating was not done in an angry punishing way. We'd act all cheerful, and during periods of quiet we'd open the window and toss a handful of kibble into the grass for him to find with a, "good boy!"

He did learn a "quiet" command. If I told him "Charlie be quiet!" when he was going ballistic, he'd stop, look at me, and then resume going ballistic with a tiny volume.
woof woof woof as opposed to WOOF WOOF WOOF

 

[Dekka]

Not a fan of the electric ones. If a dog is barking out of anxiety or fear it will only escalate the problem. And it can cause unwanted associations. I have used a citronella collar on Sport when we first started taking him to JRT trials. He wasn't scared by it, just annoyed.

I wouldn't use a citronella collar on a 'spooky' dog or one that gets scared easily.

 

[lizzybeth727]

So I guess on one hand they work, but on the other, they wouldn't have put one on their children.

Ok, if you want to compare the dog to a child...

What WOULD they have done if it was a child? Maybe they would:

- let the child sleep in the house near the parents where he feels safe
- make sure the child has enough stimulation during the day to be able to sleep at night
- get a white noise machine or some other sound maker if it's noises at night that disturb the sleep
- give the child some chamomile tea or something similar right before bed to help him sleep
- make sure the child's physical needs are met at night while also making sure that the child is not attention-seeking
- talk to a doctor/psychologist about why the child is not sleeping at night

These things all have equivalents they could have done for the dog.... were any of them done??

I've been a professional dog trainer for years, I've trained THOUSANDS of dogs. IMO, barking is one of the two most offensive things a dog can do (the other being mouthing ). And in that time I've met exactly two dogs that I would use a bark collar on. So while I won't say that I'd never use a bark collar, I will say that it's highly unlikely that your dog actually requires a bark collar, IMO.

 

[dachshunds4me]

I own one that's the tritronics bark limiter. I like it a lot for times I can't control what the dog is doing like when she's in a crate while I'm not home or in her kennel outdoors. Basically I use it in confined areas where I expect her to be calm and quiet without me standing there.

A bark collar isn't for every dog but for those it does work for it's consistent in a way a person just can't be. It's a training tool like any other. There's a right way to use it and a number of wrong ways.

This.

 

[Paul Bright]

Ok, if you want to compare the dog to a child...

What WOULD they have done if it was a child? Maybe they would:

- let the child sleep in the house near the parents where he feels safe
- make sure the child has enough stimulation during the day to be able to sleep at night
- get a white noise machine or some other sound maker if it's noises at night that disturb the sleep
- give the child some chamomile tea or something similar right before bed to help him sleep
- make sure the child's physical needs are met at night while also making sure that the child is not attention-seeking
- talk to a doctor/psychologist about why the child is not sleeping at night

These things all have equivalents they could have done for the dog.... were any of them done??

I've been a professional dog trainer for years, I've trained THOUSANDS of dogs. IMO, barking is one of the two most offensive things a dog can do (the other being mouthing ). And in that time I've met exactly two dogs that I would use a bark collar on. So while I won't say that I'd never use a bark collar, I will say that it's highly unlikely that your dog actually requires a bark collar, IMO.

Great point!!

I know with my partners parents, while they love their dog very much, none of those things listed were done.

 

[PlottMom]

I have four dogs that bark. The last thing I need is a collar that also barks.

darn you! i read the thread title and was thinking of posting the SAME. THING!

That being said, Liz wears a bark-limiter on nights I don't take her to work. My crazy neighbor has called the police like a billion times, and while they find HIM to be the nuisance, he's been seen creeping outside my windows at night and the LAST thing I want is to give him some reason to be dumping poison in my yard. She wears it maybe once a week, if that, and I see it as a safety precaution at this point.

 

[el_pic]

Interesting.
I am considering one for my new sheltie pup.

Regarding the collar on childeren point of view ...
Dogs bark to communicate - so do kids.
If they do to excess then behavior modification may be required. You got to judge/act ... I suppose some parents will not do any judge/act modification on dogs or childern.
We all know about attacking dogs, kids who shoot other kids at school, drugs, gangs, loudmouth kids / dogs, and otherwise those outside the norm of society.
We also know what happens when parents don't act.

I might try the time out pen and then even the collar as a 2nd attempt.

Would like to know bout the shocking vs. the spray type and how long you used it ???
Is the length of use longer or shorter for pups ???
Are any brands suggested ???

 

[JacksonsMom]

I would never use one.

We did use a ultrasonic bark repeller which is like a little remote that emits a noise they don't like and it worked, over at my dads house. But it was something we controlled and used as a training device. We weren't just pressing the button everytime they barked, we would say 'quiet' first and treat them when they were good, etc.

 

[lizzybeth727]

Regarding the collar on childeren point of view ...
Dogs bark to communicate - so do kids.
If they do to excess then behavior modification may be required. You got to judge/act ... I suppose some parents will not do any judge/act modification on dogs or childern.

So have you tried all the behavior modification techniques you and a professional trainer/behaviorist can think of? I truely think that a bark collar should be used as a last resort, AFTER consulting trainers/behaviorists about the problems you're having.

I don't know how old your dog is, but I also want to point out that I'd NEVER use one on a puppy.